Lately I have been daydreaming about this question, “What if, when a pastor moved on, the church knew exactly what to do to find a suitable replacement because a plan and a process had been agreed upon ahead of time?” So, this month I will be reading:

Next: Pastoral Succession That Works by William Vanderbloemen and Warren Bird - With accolades from the likes of John Ortberg (Pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church), Rick Warren (Founding pastor of Saddleback Church), and Bill Hybels (founding pastor of Willow Creek Community Church) I can’t wait to dive into book. As authors, each of these endorsing pastors have impacted my ministry from afar, unlike the next book on my list.

The Elephant in the Boardroom: Speaking the Unspoken about Pastoral Transitions by Carolyn Weese and J. Russel Crabtree - It’s readily apparent this book will be a denser read but I’m even more eager to dive into this resource. I have had the joy of working with Carolyn Weese as a church consultant, ages ago, and more recently have been impacted by the work of Russ Crabtree through Holy Cow! Consulting. A quick scan of the chapters suggests this book is packed with nuts-and-bolts guidelines, strategies, and advice that comes from trusted sources. Hoping to put this into practice in the near future.

What I’m listening to this month (on Hoopla):

an Invisible Thread, by Laura Schroff, Alex Treniowski and read by Pam Ward –Nearly two hours into this seven hour book, I’ll be honest, I find some of this story thrilling and other parts of it a bit of a slog. The hint of an invisible thread in this true story keeps me engaged. Maurice is an 11-year old panhandler and Laura a busy sales executive. Their unlikely meeting leads to what promises to be a heartwarming, transformative story of friendship. Three decades of the story are yet to be revealed.

What have you been reading lately? I would enjoy hearing about your thoughts in comments!